A very good afternoon to you and welcome to the fourth and final installment of what has been a thoroughly enthralling and quite exhausting November series.

Australia are in town hoping to carry on their unblemished record in the northern hemisphere this year, but things won’t be easy for Joe Schmidt’s side as they have just had to rule Sean O’Brien out of the starting line-up (on top of Robbie Henshaw and Jonathan Sexton).

Still, Josh van der Flier has excelled each and every time he’s taken the jersey so far and we see no reason why he won’t do so again today.

It should be another extremely exciting Test.

Here are the updated teams for today’s series-closing November Test with the Wallabies.

Ireland

15. Rob Kearney
14. Andrew Trimble
13. Jared Payne
12. Garry Ringrose
11. Keith Earls
10. Paddy Jackson
9. Conor Murray

1. Jack McGrath
2. Rory Best (captain)
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Iain Henderson
5. Devin Toner
6. CJ Stander
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jamie Heaslip

Replacements:

16. Sean Cronin
17. Cian Healy
18. Finlay Bealham
19. Ultan Dillane
20. Peter O’Mahony
21. Kieran Marmion
22. Joey Carbery
23. Simon Zebo

Australia

15. Israel Folau
14. Dane Haylett-Petty
13. Tevita Kuridrani
12. Reece Hodge
11. Henry Speight
10. Bernard Foley
9. Will Genia

1. Scott Sio
2. Stephen Moore (captain)
3. Sekope Kepu
4. Rory Arnold
5. Rob Simmons
6. Dean Mumm
7. Michael Hooper
8. David Pocock

Replacements:

Tolu Latu
James Slipper
Allan Alaalatoa
Kane Douglas
Sean McMahon
Nick Phipps
Quade Cooper
Sefanaia Naivalu

Not quite the fervent atmosphere we’ve grown used to (against the All Blacks) in recent weeks. The Aviva is taking its sweet time to fill up.

Here’s our view for the night.

The hearbeat noise is being pumped out over the speakers. Prediction time: the bookies can’t call it, but (having just seen Bernard Foley pull a kick right in practice) I’m plumping for an Ireland win by around five points.

Could be a big night for Paddy Jackson on the kicking tee too..

Alone he stands: Rory Best came down the tunnel first with his kids before the fireworks greeted the green and the green and gold.

Time for presidential greetings and a few anthems.

Formalities over, it’s game time baby!

KICK-OFF: Jacko sends Rob Kearney after a central one straight away. He can’t gather, but the Wallabies are pinged  for holding on and Rory Best will get the line-out cooking.

Early danger for the visitors as Jared Payne wriggles clear of a tackle in the 22. Pressure still on from Ireland.

Trimble comes very, very close to breaking the line on a reverse pass (the Tommy Bowe move) but he’s hauled down and Ireland have to go back for a penalty.

Jacko goes for the corner. Ireland are on the scent… but Best’s throw is off and Australia clear.

6 mins: Ireland continue to look very good, full of energy in the tackle, but they have to resort to a Conor Murray chip over the top which evades Keith Earls. Wallaby defence standing up well so far.

9 mins: Ringrose forces a penalty with good ruck competition in midfield. Jackson kicks it on down to the 22.

Ireland stretch Australia with an excellent move off a dominant maul. Rob Kearney puts Trimble in space on the right, but Petty is across to stop him and Australia concede another penalty.

11 mins: Jamie Heaslip takes the line-out, but the Wallabies defend it and force a scrum.

Another failed 22 entry from Ireland.

Rob Kearney is gone for a HIA – he was a suspected concussion at the end of last week’s match too.

Simon Zebo is on at fullback.

16 mins: Ireland are still bossing this game, but there is still no score. So when a penalty comes 40 metres out, Jackson asks Bests for the posts and he’ll have a pop.

PENALTY! Ireland 3 Australia 0 (Jackson ’17)

Sweet strike.

Australia causing problems with the blitz defence, but Ireland showing confidence in their ability to attack off script. Payne and Ringrose combine well in midfield before Zebo finds a gap out wide. Unfortunately it ends in a penalty gold, but more promising signs.

TV camera picks out Rob Kearney sitting on the bench. Looks like we won’t be seeing him back on the field today.

Breathless series of play after the Wallabies roar back from a Paddy Jackson line-break, we’re going for a TMO check for a tip tackle on Tadhg Furlong.

The crowd are incensed. Dean Mumm has lifted the prop’s leg right up in the air and left his neck prone.

Jerome Garces has taken advice from touch judge Nigel Owens and has called it a yellow card for Deam Mumm.

TRY! Ireland 8 Australia 0 (Iain Henderson ’24)

Off go Ireland against 14 men then. Starting with a Mumm-less maul. They rumble a good five metres before spinning left.

Zebo grubbers through and Earls gets on the end of it. The Munster wing gets a pass away to Iain Henderson who trundles in from 15 metres.

Terrific try showing the full breadth of the Ireland attack, Henderson did well to power up to avoid capture by backs before the try-line.

Jackson adds another sweetly struck conversion.

Ireland 10 Australia 0

Michael Hooper feeling the world’s against him with Garces giving him little change.

Could be heard screaming: ‘give me a go… GIVE ME A GOOOOOOO’ at the last ruck.

30 mins: The injuries just keep on coming!

Andrew Trimble hobbles off with an ankle injury leaving Ireland needing a reshuffle.

Joey Carbery replaces the Ulster wing and he becomes Ireland’s third fullback of this 30-minute game with Simon Zebo moving to the left wing and Keith Earls to the right.

One last maul for Ireland before Mumm returns and it’s another good gain before they look to attack in midfield. Jackson hits Zebo, but he runs into too much traffic on the set play. Another penalty though and we;re back on the line.

TRY! Ireland 15 Australia 0 (Garry Ringrose ’33)

Ringrose sneaks through a lot of traffic. Garces goes to check with the TMO for blocking, there’s a slight suspicion of it, if we’re honest, as Devin Toner knocks knees with a lock. But we deserve a benefit of the doubt at some stage.

Jackson adds the conversion to give Ireland a commanding lead.

Ireland 17 Australia 0

37 mins: David Pocock has a word with the ref bemoaning some ‘not very sportsmanlike’ off the ball pushing and dragging he feels the victim of. Aussies must feel like they’re in Auckland.

TRY! Ireland 17 Australia 7 (Dane Haylett-Petty ’40)

Paddy Jackson shanks a kick out of touch on the full and Australia take full advantage of the gift with some beautiful offloads putting DHP under the posts for a vital score on the stroke of half-time.

HALF-TIME: Ireland 17 Australia 7

Ah jaysus. Ireland lose another back before the half starts. Jared Payne replaced by Kieran Marmion.

The second half will be a big test for Ireland’s VERY makeshift backline.

Straight away, Australia carve through the Irish defence and put Speight over in the left corner.

Mercifully, touch judge Owens calls a forward pass on Mick Hooper. and we get a reprieve.

Pressure’s on now. The Wallabies know we’re creaking with four half-backs on the field and our most experienced defender gone.

TRY! Ireland 17 Australia 14 (Kuridrani ’46)

The Wallabies are going to look dangerous every single time they put width on the ball now and this time Marmion can’t be saved from the Folau and Kuridrani combo.

Fine conversion from Foley to make this a one score game.

PENALTY! Ireland 20 Australia 14 (Jackson ’49)

Ireland badly needed that. A fine strike from Jackson just right of the posts on the 22 line. Very missable under this pressure.

52 mins: Oh goodness. Just when you thought nothing else could go wrong, Conor Murray passes the ball to David Pocock. With no ruck formed, it’s fair game for the Wallaby back row and only a knock on in the left corner lets us off the hook.

TRY! Ireland 20 Australia 19 (Naivalu ’56)

This is car crash stuff for Ireland now as the man only on for a HIA skips past Joey Carbery and around the back of the posts.

Foley adds the extras and Ireland, having led 17 – 0, trail 20 – 21.

#PrayforIrelandsdefence

Stephen Moore is methodically plotting his route to victory now. Another expansive Wallaby attack has hearts in mouths until Zebo calls a mark on a speculative kick into the 22 and the Connacht-reared hooker calls for Foley to hit the easy penalty.

PENALTY! Ireland 20 Australia 24 (Foley ’60)

Peter O’Mahony is back in the big time, Ireland need him too.

Unusually, Jamie Heaslip is the man called ashore to let the Munster captain loose with Stander and JVDF.

Another high tackle talking point as Mumm escapes with a warning for his effort. Lansdowne comes alive as Ireland go for the corner.

TRY! Ireland 25 Australia 24 (Earls ’65)

Rory Best takes time to compliment wee Jerome on his refereeing skills while asking him not to entertain David Pocock. Paddy Jackson just gets down to business: OUTSTANDING TOUCHLINE CONVERSION.

Ireland 27 Australia 24

70 mins: Tadhg Furlong hits the bench as Finlay Bealham is called in against the nation of his birth. Only Sean Cronin is riding the Irish pine now.

Rory Best runs off to an incredibly moving round of applause after his 100th Trojan effort in the green jersey.

CJ Stander just laid a marker down before he left too, walking slowly after Pocock following a crucial penalty win in his own 22.

79 mins: BIG PLAY FROM THE BIG MAN DEVIN TONER. He steals the ball and gets a tip tackle from, of all people, Bernard Foley for his troubles.

The out-half gets a yellow card and Ireland have a minute against 14 men.

FULL-TIME: Ireland 27 Australia 24